COVID-19 rapid result testing will be made available to every county in New York state, said Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday, as the coronavirus positivity rate in hotspot ZIP codes of the state has lingered above 5 percent for days.
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) will deploy an initial 400,000 rapid result test kits free of charge to local health departments, hospitals, pharmacies, and other health care providers to help increase access in all corners of the state to free COVID-19 tests that can be done within 15 minutes and without having to send a specimen to a lab, said the governor in a press release.
DOH will prioritize the distribution of testing kits to counties and local health care providers in areas seeing recent uptick in cases, said the governor.
"From day one, testing has been one of the most vital tools we have to accurately assess COVID-19's spread in New York. Today New York State is building on our nation-leading testing program to expand rapid testing to every corner of the state, to give health care providers and localities the tools they need offer free rapid testing to their residents and patients," Cuomo was quoted as saying in the release.
These rapid test kits will allow health care institutions throughout the state to quickly and accurately determine COVID-19's spread, control outbreaks and keep families and communities safe, he said.
"We will provide rapid test kits, as needed, free of charge to all localities to help them meet this new requirement, giving parents, teachers, and students confidence in the safety of their educational experiences," he added.
Earlier on Friday, the governor tweeted that the latest COVID-19 positivity rate in the 20 hotspot ZIP codes in Queens, Brooklyn, Orange and Rockland counties of New York state was 5.4 percent, compared to 5.8 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively, on Thursday and Wednesday.
The most recent statewide positivity rate excluding these ZIP codes was 0.90 percent, said Cuomo, adding, "We are taking quick action to respond to the clusters &stop the spread."
State and city governments of New York ordered lockdown of non-essential businesses, schools and social gatherings in these ZIP codes this week, though criticism and even protests persisted over the closure decisions.
According to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. coronavirus death toll reached 213,390 as of Friday afternoon, and the number of confirmed cases was more than 7.64 million. New York remains one of the worst-hit states in the country.
